Drought Does Not Hinder Chicken Consumption

AUSTRALIA – Pork and chicken meat consumption is on the rise as Australian shoppers buy less beef.

Chicken meat remains the most consumed protein in Australia, reports Weekly Times Now.

This is according to the latest National Australia Bank commodities report which stated in 2013-14 Australians consumed 44.7kg of chicken per person, one per cent more than last financial year, to exceed total red meat (beef, veal, lamb and mutton) consumption of 41.9kg.

Lower import competition from the US and better prices are positives for pork.

Last financial year domestic pork production was at 357,000 tonnes, while year-to-date production is two per cent higher than the same period last year.

Pork imports this year are tipped to fall 10 per cent to 137,000 tonnes, due to lower imports from the US, where drought and high feed costs have brought record pig prices.

NAB Agribusiness general manager, Khan Horne, said domestic pork consumption was expected to increase from 25.7kg per person in 2013-14 to about 27kg in 2018-19.

Mr Horne said chicken consumption had experienced a decade of uninterrupted growth.

“Relative to cattle and sheep, the pork and poultry industries have been less adversely impacted by the ongoing drought conditions,” said Mr Horne.